Dental-bridge repair device



May 13, 1924. 1,493,678

H. R. KJDD DENTAL BRIDGE REPAIR DEVICE Fi1ed*-Sept. 26. 1922 Patented May 13, 19214.

; team HOWARD RAY KIIDD, 0F OKM'UIJGEE, OKLAHOMA.

DENTAL-BRIDGE REPAIBiDEVICE.

Application filed September 26, 1922. SerialNo. 590,665.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD BAY K1131). a citizen of the United States, residing at Okniulgee, in the county of Okniulgee and tate of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Dental-Bridge Repair Device, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to artificial dentures and more particularly to repair devices for dental bridges. The object of the invention is to provide a simple and eflicient device of this character for repairing dental bridges from which a pin facing has been broken without removing the bridge from the mouth.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the. invention resides in the com bination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction herein described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a dental bridge with one of the facings detached.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal horizontal section showing the teeth in position on the bridge embodying this invention, and

Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of the device constituting this invention.

In the embodment illustrated, a dental bridge 1 is shown having capping teeth 2 and 3 at its opposite ends which are designed to be engaged with the natural teeth to hold the bridge in operative position. The backings or plate 4. which connects the caps 2 and 3 is designed to carry the artilicial teeth and bridge the space between the capped teeth after solder has been flowed over the posterior surface 5.

The backings may be in any plurality, three being here shown which correspond to the number of artificial teeth to be carried by the bridge. In advance of the backings are porcelain facings 6 which are usually provided on their inner faces with longitudinally extending grooves or recesses unthe backings and .which are additionally supported by cementing the facing to the backings 4:- i

In case one of the facings 6 becomes broken from the bridge and it is desired to replace it without removing the bridge from W the users mouth, the broken pin or other projection is filed oil smoothly and a slot 7 formed transversely in the plate 4: as is shown clearly in full lines in Fig. 1. as well as in dotted lines.

The auxiliary back or connector 10 constituting this invention is constructed as shown in Fig. 3 having a centrally disposed rib 11 which is preferably tubular in form with wings 12 and 13 extending therefrom, and which are designed to be opened up in opposite directions and burnished against the backing 5 0f the tooth to be repaired as is shown clearly at the right of Fig. 2. Y5

In the use of this device, the broken pin having been filed off and the slot 7 formed in plate 4, the rib 11 is forced through the slot 7 from the rear of plate 4e and through a registering opening in the backing 5 and when so inserted, a facing such as that known on the market as steel facing, which has an undercut longitudinally extending groove in its rear face, whereby a tongue and grooved connection is formed between the facing and the connector, is applied to the rib 11. The Wings 12 and 13 of the connector are opened out in opposite directions as shown at the center of Fig. 2, and are burnished against the outer face of the backing 5 as shown at the right of Fig. 2.

After this has been done, the facing of the tooth to be repaired is removed and the auxiliary backing or connector 10 is withdrawn from the slot 7 and a small amount of solder flowed in the crease formed on the front face of said backing. This backing is then trimmed the desired size and replaced in the slot and the facing engaged with the rib thereof whereby the parts will be firmly united, and the wings constituting the auxiliary'backin are burnished to the main backing 5, thereby finishing the repair- From the above description it will be observed that a dental bridge having a facing tooth broken therefrom may be readily repaired with the use of this device Without removing the bridge from the mouth.

I claim:

1. The combination with a dental bridge including a backingwith a slot therein and a porcelain facing to be arranged in advance of said backing and provided with an undercut recess; of a facing connector composed of a strip having a transversely extending rib for insertion through said 'slot and to enter the recess in said facing said connector having bendable fingers to engage the rear face of the backing.

2. An attachment for connecting facings to dental bridges comprising a metal strip folded transversely intermediate its ends to form a rib adapted to enter a groove in a facing the ends of said strip forming bendable wings to be burnished to a backing.

' In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

HOWARD RAY KIDD.

Witnesses VIRGIL E. RIDDLE, Tnos. G THORNBURGH. 

